Reichard Blucher
Reichard Blucher was a German mercenary. He served in one of Count Tilly's armies during the Battle of the Crapper, where he was wounded by the American's M-60 Machine gun. He was taken prisoner along with his friends Wilfram Jones, Christian du Champ, and Dieter Wiesskamp, but was pardoned and saved through the actions of Gretchen Richter for their good behavior. Blucher and his former mercenaries became hired farm help and then partners in Ev and Lanie Parker's draft horse breeding operation—all in the space of two years. Blucher became an avid reader of the military history of the American Civil War after Rob Clark loaned him a book on the subject. Horse Thieves In the fall of 1633, Blucher and his friends were returning to Grantville following their horse trading in France before encountering two armed soldiers who demanded them in turning their horses to them. However, Blucher and du Champ quickly killed the horsemen. Upon examining the dead soldiers and their belongings, they discovered that they are based on American Civil War era fashions. Realizing that there are more soldiers nearby, Blucher and the others went to find the rest of these soldiers. The four, accompanied by Sam O'Reilly and Klaus Goltz which Reichard had ran into, eventually discovered an encampment, numbering to about hundred, and its soldiers closely modeled after Civil War military doctrines. In which they were quick to learn that the soldiers may have possibly learned these new military styles in gaining possession of a book on the Civil War. Figuring that the enemy soldiers are preparing to raid Badenburg, it was decided that Reichard and O'Reilly will observe and inevitably parry the army while the others will return and warn Grantville and Badenburg about the attack. Both Reichard and O'Reilly dealt in eliminating the camp's guards and finding a position in sniping the camp officers. By the next morning Reichard was awoken to gunfire after O'Reilly provoked the enemy army from his sniping. Reichard convinced the overly excited O'Reilly to retreat as the soldiers were becoming aware of their location and preparing to flank them. As they retreated, Reichard discover O'Reilly was fatally shot. Reichard tried his best in bandaging O'Reilly's wound but his companion ultimately died from his injuries. Reichard brought O'Reilly's body to the Badenburg road where he met the American-Badenburg militia led by Major Stieff, who were prepared to face the pursing enemy army that were killed in the exchange. He broke the news of his friend's death to O'Reilly's cousin Lannie Parker, in which Reichard was then blatantly accused by Doggie, one of the 250 Club patron, that he killed O'Reilly - he was also a regular 250 patron. Though, Parker scolded Doggie's accusation. Reichard then participated with the militia in eliminating what is left of the soldiers. Thereafter, Reichard returned to Grantville and delivering O'Reilly's body to his wife Maggie and describing how her husband died. He reunited with his friends and Ev Parker at the Thuringen Gardens. There they were angrily confronted by patrons of the 250 Club, who believed from Doggie that Reichard was responsible for O'Reilly's death. Though outnumbered, the men ably fought the mob which ended with one of the patron killed. Jones came out with a cracked shoulder and he and the others weren't charged as they acted in self-defense. Duty Calls Homecoming Category:1632 Characters Category:Soldiers Category:Germans